South Africa secured their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 before flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit was crowned World Rugby player of the year, becoming the first Springbok to win the award twice.

But the curse of major tournaments once again struck the country’s cricketers in two T20 World Cup finals.

The Proteas men suffered an agonising seven-run defeat against India in June, while the women were beaten by New Zealand by 32 runs in October.

In tennis, South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane added the Wimbledon women’s wheelchair doubles trophy to her cabinet.

But Ons Jabeur appears further away from her first Grand Slam triumph after an injury-hit year saw her slide down the women’s rankings.

The 30-year-old’s best showing came at the French Open, where the Tunisian exited in the quarter-finals.

In squash, Nouran Gohar won an all-Egyptian Women’s World Championship final, defeating seven-time winner Nour El Sherbini to claim a first title. But Mostafa Asal could not make it a clean sweep on home soil in Cairo as he was beaten in the men’s final.